Minority believe military should keep powers

Minority believe military should keep powers

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Challenges still loom for a democratic state in Indonesia where
civilians reign supreme, with a significant minority of people
still believing military posts are vital for public order and
security.

The survey, released on Tuesday by the Indonesian Research
Institute (LSI), shows that a clear majority of Indonesians
believe territorial military commands should be abolished.

Out of 1,137 people from 33 provinces interviewed in the
survey on civilian supremacy and national defense, 55 percent to
58 percent of them disapproved of the territorial military
commands at district, regional and provincial levels.

However, a significant minority of 24 percent to 28 percent of
those surveyed still thought the military commands should be kept
in the regions.

The survey, which was conducted in September, also revealed
that just over half of the interviewers agreed that the decision
to proclaim a state of emergency or declare war should be made by
the government and legislators.

Fewer, only 30 percent of the respondents, wanted to give the
military that authority.

The survey revealed, unsurprisingly, that 82.2 percent of
those interviewed agreed that the military's main role was to
defend the state from external threats.

However, support for the military in politics seems to be
dropping, with only 24 percent of people surveyed of the view
that the country should be led by former military officer, a drop
from 34 percent last year.

The majority approved of the TNI's decision to quit politics,
although some 26 percent of them could accept the military's
continued involvement in politics.

A large majority, around 68 percent of people, agreed that
active military members should not occupy legislative posts, nor
become the president, while between 51 percent and 60 percent
suggested that only the government and the House of
Representatives should decide the defense budget.

Fears that the military would ignore the role of civilian
leaders were also high, with less than 50 percent of people
believing that a civilian defense minister would have the
authority to control and command military generals.

Most people, however, support reducing the military's powers
and agree that the state should be solely responsible for
financing the military and should increase the salaries of its
members. They thought the military should be banned from
engagement in businesses.

LSI executive director Saiful Mujani said the findings showed
that while democratic impulses were the majority, a significant
minority still believed in the importance of the military in
politics and business.

Military observer Salim Said said the continued support for
the military could have something to do with the unpopularity of
the police and House members.

"The people lack trust in the police. They also do not
appreciate the performance of House members. The civilian
political system's failure also encourages the military's
involvement in politics," he told a discussion about the survey.

Meanwhile, legislator Effendy Choiry from Commission I on
security, defense and foreign affairs said he believed many in
the military had no intention of letting civilians take away
their special political and economic powers.

"Don't heap the blame on legislators or the failure of
civilians. We all are still learning, so give us a chance. The
military has reigned supreme for years," he said.